Come Recommended is a content agency specializing in careers, recruiting, and human resources. We're led by Heather R. Huhman, a widely-recognized thought leader and expert in the careers space with a decade of experience as a hiring manager.

Recent Posts

After months of cutthroat campaigning, heavy advertisements, and a country that grew very divided, America witnessed President Barack Obama defeat Governor Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. While Obama received heavy scrutiny during his first term, he kept his position as commander-in-chief in part by targeting the large demographic groups.

The youth
According to a September Pew Research Study poll, those aged 18-29 were “significantly less engaged in this year’s election than at a comparable point in 2008.” In fact, many were predicting that because youth were not as interested as they were in the last election, Obama may have lost a large chunk of his supporters.

However, the polls prediction was wrong. The youth came out screaming, with a slightly higher turnout of voters age 18 to 29 compared to 2008, and overall 60 percent of young people voting for Obama as opposed to 37 percent for Romney. This may have been helped by Obama’s stance on social issues, such as marriage equality and immigration, which were dramatically different from the Republican positions. In addition, the country veered left as more young people become eligible to vote, shrinking the appeal of the GOP for 18-29’s year olds.

The gender gap
Women’s issues had been one of the core topics for both Republicans and Democrats, with each side having their own steadfast opinions on where they stand. Well, women had their own opinions, with more than half siding with Obama on his views on topics such as a women’s right to choose and the use of contraceptives.

In addition, according to CNN, Romney’s controversial comments during his campaign may have pushed women away, such as having “binders full of women” when hiring and not fully answering the equal pay question. In the end, this may have made women more inclined to vote for a candidate who was more aligned to not only their values, but also the values of the nation as a whole.

The minority vote
Come election day, the minority vote went to Obama, with the percentage of many groups, such as Hispanics and African-Americans, increasing in comparison to 2008. An ABC News pre-election poll indicated that a quarter of likely voters who are nonwhite prefered Obama by 76 to 20 percent. That number increases to 96-3 percent for likely African-American voters.

When November 6 rolled around, these predictions rang true: Hispanic voters sided with Obama 71 percent compared to 27 percent for Romney. This may have been due to the fact that Romney supported “self-deportation” of illegal immigrants, pushing a key demographic away. In addition, African-American supporters of Obama stayed by his side for reasons such as education, job growth, and healthcare, according to ABC News.

Earning the support of key demographics was a major reason why Obama won the 2012 election, no matter what previous polls may have indicated. Whether it was Obama’s message of hope or Romney’s questionable comments about the “47 percent” that won the election, one thing is clear: demographics like the youth, women, and minority voters were a major factor in the reelection of President Obama.

In summary, according to Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, “Politicians on both sides of the aisle should recognize that if they adhere to these draconian positions, their political future is at risk. The demographic writing is on the wall.”

The demographic writing was on the wall. It spells out the need to pay attention to the concerns of the large demographic groups and appeal to a broad base.

What do you think? What are some other ways demographics are important in politics?

Rand Strauss is the President and CEO of PeopleCount.org, a nonpartisan organization that enables the public to communicate constructively by taking stands on political issues influencing the country today. Connect with Rand and PeopleCount.org on Twitter and Facebook.